Close Proximity
by Pepper C Stonehedge
Summary: When Greenlee finally realizes which man she's meant to be with, will it be too late? JR wants to save his marriage. Annie wants a life with Scott. If only they could overcome their biggest obstacle - each other. Also feat. Marissa, Krystal & others
1. Chapter 1

"David, really, I think it would be best if you didn't visit me at work." David and Greenlee stood in the hall outside of Fusion. Greenlee should have been elated. Erica was alive and well, her father was going to marry the woman he loved, and best of all, Fusion was officially hers. Erica's brush with mortality had caused her to re-evaluate her priorities, and she and Jackson were going to spend the rest of the summer in Europe to visit Kendall and Bianca and their families. So why wasn't Greenlee happy? Instead, she was an emotional wreck, and she constantly felt physically ill.

David could tell something was wrong. "If that's what you want, I'll leave." And then his doctor's instincts kicked in. "You look pale. Can I get you some - "

"No," she cut him off. "If I need anything, I can get it myself. Right now, I just need to work."

Hurt by Greenlee's rebuff, David asked, "Did I do something to offend you? I'm just offering to help, and you practically bite me head off."

"Your brand of help leaves a lot to be desired. Let's see: my father's furious with me, the entire town hates me for something I didn't even do, you almost ruined one of my closest friends' wedding..."

David threw up his hands in exasperation. He understood the anger regarding Erica. He deserved that, but not for the wedding fiasco. "How many times do I need to keep saying it? _They __were __already __married. _It was nothing but a pointless exercise in narcissism."

Greenlee's eyes narrowed. "Pointless?" she asked icily. "It was romantic. Now romance is pointless?"

"No, Greenlee..." He trailed off, and rubbed his eyes with his thumb and index finger in frustration. "That's not what I'm saying."

"I have work to do," was her only reply before brushing past him.

David got on the elevator just as Amanda was getting off it, and she immediately sensed the tension. "What did he do now?"

Greenlee was in no mood for another round of _Your __Husband __is__ Scum_. "Not now, Amanda."

"Something's obviously going on between the two of you," Amanda continued. "Trust me, I know what it's like being in David's control. But don't let him convince you to shut everyone out. That's what he does. He can't let you care about anyone else because the truth is, he isn't capable of caring about anyone but himself."

"I'm going to stop you right there," Greenlee said. Hearing from the Greek chorus of David haters on a daily basis was wearing thin. "I know that you never knew my first husband, David's brother. Leo..." she started to choke up at the very mention of his name, "Leo was the greatest man who ever walked this earth. He and David loved each other so much. They would have done anything for each other. I've considered David a part of my family for a long time. So don't act like you know my husband better than I do. You don't."

* * *

David spotted Marissa sitting at a back table in ConFusion and approached her. They hadn't planned to meet. In fact, they hadn't even seen each other since the day Marissa threw David out of Chandler Mansion. As David stood near her chair, almost reluctant to impose on her by sitting down, Marissa half-heartedly poked her fork at her mixed-greens salad. "It's okay," she said without looking up, "go ahead."

He took a seat. "I wasn't sure if you were speaking to me these days."

"I hear you've been busy," she bristled, "ruining a wedding, almost killing Erica. Why are you even here, David? Why aren't you off tying damsels to the railroad tracks or ripping wings off butterflies in the park?"

If it had been anyone else, David would have responded with a zinger of his own, verbally crushing his opponent worse than he or she could have even imagined. But not to her. "I saw you here, and I thought I'd make sure we were on okay terms, especially given what happened the last time I saw you."

"You mean what happened with JR?" she said, her eyes still cast toward her plate. "I knew he wasn't happy to see you in our house, so I figured I'd take advantage of the situation. It wouldn't look good to be seen conspiring with you, and having him hear me defend him allows me to score some points."

David's entire body tensed with anger. His jaw tightened, his fists clenched, and his posture straightened. "You shouldn't have to score points with your cheating husband. If anything, it should be the other way around." He didn't mean to raise his voice to Marissa. It wasn't she he was angry with. It was that irresponsible drunken loser she was married to.

Marissa remained unfazed by David's change in demeanor. "In a way, I was taking your advice."

"By throwing me under the bus?"

"You'll live," she answered flatly. "Besides," she finally looked up at him, "I'm not like you. I'm not going to use blackmail or dirty tricks to try to save my marriage. If this is going to work, I have to be certain that JR genuinely prefers me, and acting like Annie just undermines that."

"And what happens if he decides he prefers Annie? Are you just going to let them ride off into the sunset together, raising your son?"

"I have faith in my husband. You haven't seen him. I believe he's committed to this marriage, and our family. But if he does decide to chuck it all for a cheap fling with Annie, I'm AJ's legal mother," Marissa reminded him. She was in lawyer mode now. "And a biological relative. Based on that, plus JR's well-documented past transgressions, I think I have a great shot at getting sole custody."

* * *

JR didn't react when Annie burst into the mansion's living room. It didn't even matter anymore that she wasn't allowed on the premises, at least as long as Marissa wasn't home. Annie made such a habit of popping in whenever she felt like it that any anger or surprise at her presence had long worn off. He didn't even pry his eyes away from his laptop as he lounged on the couch. It helped not to look at her. Looking at her only intensified his persistent thoughts of her. What they had done together; what he wanted to do with her. Yes, it was better to concentrate on work.

Annie broke the silence first. "I thought about what you said." She spoke slowly, softly. She could hardly hear herself over the sound of her heart pounding. "I can't get you out of my head either."

Without looking at her, "My wife and son aren't home. Thanks for asking," JR spat.

"What do you take me for?" Annie asked indignantly. "I know they're gone. AJ's with Emma, and Marissa's never home at this time of day."

JR sat up. "I was wrong to say anything like that to you. It was a moment of weakness...it won't happen again."

Annie moved closer to him. "He loves me. Scott loves me. Here's this decent, wonderful man, and he wants _me_. He's not a creep like Terry, or fickle like Ryan, or in love with someone else like Adam. And it kills me that every time I'm with him, I keep thinking about you."

JR stood and faced her, looking in her eyes. "Do you love him?"

"Scott's someone worth loving."

JR brushed his hand against Annie's cheek and let it travel until he was gripping the back of her head, pulling her closer until their faces were inches apart. "That doesn't answer my question."

She shut her eyes. "When you're out of my system, then I can let myself love him the way he deserves to be loved."

As Annie spoke, JR leaned in closer, his lips brushing slightly against hers. "What if it doesn't work, and you can't get me out of your system?" He didn't let her answer. Their lips met roughly. Annie let her hands get lost in JR's hair as the kiss built in intensity.

"Then...we'll keep trying," Annie said at last between kisses. "As long as it takes."

* * *

For such a tiny woman, Erica's voice boomed in the busy Fusion office, as if it were coming from someone a few times her size. "Randi," she called out. "Make sure they take everything. Everything from the glamor line, everything connected to the Miranda Center, and especially, and I cannot stress this enough, everything with my face on it."

"Yes, Erica." An exhausted Randi guided the way for several men carrying box after box of Erica's belongings – everything she and Greenlee hadn't already disposed of – out of the building.

As Randi left, Erica approached Greenlee. "Don't think this means you've won. If I were you, I wouldn't be throwing myself any victory parties just yet. You may have the company, but what I have – my two beautiful daughters, a man who adores me, not to mention my self-respect – I would say that that's the real prize."

"It's good to have you back, Erica," Greenlee said with faux-sweetness. "Don't trip on your way out."

Erica may have said something before she left, but Greenlee didn't hear it. A wave of nausea fell over her. She squeezed her eyes shut and braced herself against a desk, waiting for the feeling to pass. Greenlee hobbled over to the drawer that held her purse. "_Dammit_." She stared at it for a moment before opening it. She had put this off for too long. It was time to face the inevitable. Inside a smaller, zipped compartment, she retrieved what she was looking for: the pregnancy test Ryan insisted that she buy, the one she told everyone she had used, unopened.


	2. Chapter 2

Invasive dental work. Driving her car through a blizzard. Crawling over barbed wire. Spending time with her mother. Greenlee made a mental list of the many things she would rather be doing than sit in a waiting room at a hospital in Center City. For weeks, she knew something was wrong. And for weeks she ignored it. She had tried to suffocate the nagging little voice in the back of her mind attempting to tell her what, in her heart, she already knew. Staring down at those two parallel pink lines in the bathroom at Fusion forced her to face reality. Greenlee was pregnant.

The pregnancy test had been a constant reminder that she carried with her – literally, in her handbag – every day. But with so much going on, with so much at stake, she lied, to everyone – her father, Ryan, Erica, David. _David_. She winced internally at the thought. He should have been the first person she told. Greenlee knew that. And yet, the very thought of telling her husband the news filled her with a sense of dread. David had such hope in his eyes when he thought Greenlee may be pregnant before. She couldn't bear to watch David fail to save yet another loved one. He wasn't able to save Leo from Vanessa. He wasn't able to fix Leora's heart. He had come back to Pine Valley to save Babe from herself, and even though he outwardly blamed anyone and everyone for her death – from the Chandlers to Krystal to the building that collapsed onto her – Greenlee knew that deep down, he blamed himself for being unable to prevent it somehow. And now? The threat to their unborn child was herself. Her body would eventually treat the baby as a foreign entity, a threat, and attack. She knew she would survive this just as she had five years ago, but David…this would destroy him.

* * *

Scott entered Krystal's, the restaurant formerly known as B.J.'s, and immediately spotted Marissa sitting at the nearest table. She didn't see him at first. She had spent the better part of the afternoon doing schoolwork on her laptop, while a cold cup of coffee sat neglected next to it. When she looked up a moment later, she smiled warmly at him.

Scott returned the smile and approached her. "Dining alone?"

"I was supposed to meet with a couple of people, but they had to cancel." Marissa gestured to a seat across from her. "Care to join me?"

Scott obliged. "I haven't seen you around the mansion much these days."

"With A.J. at camp, I've mostly tried to stay away," Marissa admitted. There was a fleeting pause. "I know you care about her, Scott, but it's so hard having to live in the same house as the woman who torched my marriage."

Hearing any word against Annie, no matter how justified, instantly made Scott defensive. "You can't lay all the blame on Annie," he said. "She wasn't the one married to you. J.R. strayed once; who's to say he won't do it again, with a different woman this time?"

Marissa gave a bitter laugh. "Ah, yes. 'Once a cheater, always a cheater.' My mom used to say that one to me. I've tried talking to Krystal and Tad about about this very thing, and I just watched them cast their eyes downward, like two guilty children who just got caught raiding the cookie jar. But," her voice became softer as she reverted back to Scott's original question, "J.R. doesn't look at Randi, or Amanda, or Madison North the way he looks at her. He doesn't look at any other woman the way he looks at Annie. What is it about her that turns the Chandler men into these...these sex-crazed zombies?"

Scott chuckled. "Thanks."

"You're good for her, though" Marissa insisted. "I think you'd be a good influence. Can you imagine what she and J.R. would be like together? Like dousing fire with gasoline. All she would do is take all of the negative aspects of J.R's personality and amplify them. And he would do the same to her. I wouldn't want A.J. in that kind of toxic environment."

Scott became alarmed. "You're not seriously suggesting that you would take custody away from J.R., are you?"

"If I felt it was in A.J.'s best interest, then yes," Marissa responded coolly.

"That little boy has been through so much already" Scott admonished. "You really think it would be in his best interest to be ripped away from his father? From his home? The only stability that kid has ever known?"

Marissa took a sip of coffee and grimaced. "Don't put it like that." That's not what she wanted. She knew A.J. adored his father. But she also wanted to make sure her son was raised with good values, and not be exposed to J.R.'s proclivity for self-destruction. Because that's the only explanation she had for J.R.'s inexplicable attraction to Annie, a woman he claimed he hated.

Before either of them could say anything more, a familiar tune began to play from inside Marissa's purse. Marissa reached inside to retrieve the source, her cell phone, and answered. A look of worry quickly washed over her face. "I'll be right there," she said at last, and threw her phone back into her purse, then leaped from her seat, causing everything on the table to wobble slightly. "That was Tad," she announced breathlessly. "I need to get to the hospital. Krystal's been in an accident."

* * *

David sat down in a cold, colorless room on an uncomfortable seat that faced an identical, empty chair, blocked off by a glass partition. Just then, a uniformed guard ushered in a familiar young man in an orange jumpsuit, who sat across from David behind the invisible barrier. A pang of regret swept over David as he glimpsed at his brother's haggard face. It had been nearly a year since he had visited Trey at Statesville Prison.

"I haven't seen you in awhile," Trey said.

Uncomfortable, David could only chuckle lightly. "You should've been out by now."

"Yeah, well," Trey said, "let me give you a piece of advice: if you ever get sent to prison, it's not a good idea to smash the tv when the warden won't let you watch the game. They'll tack on another five years for that."

"I'll keep that in mind."

There was an awkward silence. "I heard you married Greenlee," Trey said to cut the tension, though he knew he possibly only added to it. "How's that working out?"

"Honestly?" David admitted. "We're like two strangers living in the same house. It's my fault...I did something to help her, but it backfired. Badly."

Trey leaned forward in his seat. "When Kendall used to visit me, she told me about Greenlee and Ryan. She'd always try to sell it as the next great love story, but the way she described it was more like some bizarre co-dependence. And it seemed like, whenever they split up, they always stayed in each other's orbit until the inevitable reunion. Like some kind of cosmic force that always pushes them back together."

David, defensive and irritated by the implication, insisted, "It's not like that. Not this time."

Trey studied his brother's face and started to laugh. "Wow. Just...wow." After a fleeting pause, he added, "You've got it bad, don't you? You've fallen in love with our brother's widow."

David looked up at Trey bitterly. God, was he that transparent? Everyone in town seemed to have his number. Though few people bothered to mention Leo. It saddened him that most of Pine Valley had seemingly forgotten his late brother. "You're right. I know some might see it as a betrayal. But I believe Leo would want Greenlee to be happy, to be with someone who truly loves her, and not as that pompous jerk Lavery's latest flavor of the month."

"But the question is," Trey said, "are _you_ what makes Greenlee happy?"

David didn't respond. He couldn't. The truth was, hearing the question out loud, by someone he didn't loathe the sight of, made him realize that he didn't know the answer. Greenlee's decision to get married was based on her desire to get back at Ryan. But was it anger and betrayal that she had felt, or jealousy? People can't turn off their feelings like a faucet. He had spent weeks in Gloucester listening to Greenlee speak of her unending love for Ryan, of butterflies and moonlight and destiny, and all that other disgusting, vomit-inducing crap. Was he really so arrogant that he couldn't see the writing on the wall? Greenlee's moodiness, the distance between them, the way she kept pushing him away; he couldn't help but wonder if this was the beginning of the end...until the inevitable Ryan/Greenlee reunion. Wordlessly, David and Trey continued to sit there a moment in the chilly, uneasy silence.

* * *

"Hurry up, Emma," Annie called up the stairs of the Chandler mansion. "Your daddy's going to be here in any minute to pick you up."

Emma galloped down the stairs with boundless energy holding a small wrapped gift. "Who's the present for?" Annie asked.

"It's for Corinna." Emma proudly stated. "She just had a baby. Daddy said we could visit her."

Annie furrowed her brow slightly. Emma's former babysitter was only nineteen years old, practically a baby herself. "That sounds nice, sweetheart. I just hope that when you have a baby someday, you'll be a bit older than Corinna."

Just then, the doorbell rang, and Emma raced to get the door. When she opened it, Ryan scooped her up in his arms. "You ready to go, kiddo?"

Emma nodded enthusiastically in response. "You said we could go to Cheese-E Charlie's after."

"I certainly did," Ryan cheerfully confirmed, and lowered her feet back to the ground. "Do you have the card you made for Corinna?"

"Oh!" Emma's eyes widened. "I left it in my room." She dashed upstairs, climbing two steps at a time.

Annie made her way to the front door where Ryan still stood. "Cheese-E Charlie's, huh? Emma loves that place. I used to take her there all the time when I was married to..." She trailed off. That difficult time when she was Terry's wife was not something she was up to talking about, especially not with Ryan. She veered the conversation in a different direction. "I don't even know where the closest one is."

Ryan was only barely paying attention. He checked the time on his phone, as he didn't want to miss visiting hours. "Across from the hospital," he muttered.

This confused Annie. "There's nothing but condos across from PVH," she pointed out.

Ryan was alert at this point. "We're not going to PVH," he said, his voice tinged with condescension. "Corinna lives in Center City."

"What? Since when?"

"Since probably January." He spoke slowly, in the same patronizing tone. "Which you would already know if you paid a little more attention to our daughter."

"How would I know that?" she snapped. "I'm not the one always pawning her off to a babysitter, Ryan."

"Of course not," Ryan said coldly. "You usually pawn her off to me."

"I wouldn't call it 'pawning her off' when it's her father," Annie countered. "Besides, she has so many caregivers these days, it's hard to keep track. If it's not Opal, it's the Martins, and now Madison."

"Unlike you, Annie, I actually have responsibilities. I have the casino, Fusion, Spike. What is it you do, again?"

"You forgot another one of your 'responsibilities' – chasing after Greenlee like it's your life's mission," she spat. Annie knew that she had touched a nerve with that one, but it was too late to take it back now.

Ryan's voice became as low as a whisper, but just as intense as if he were shouting at her. His eyes flared with rage. "You keep your mouth shut about Greenlee."

At that moment, Ryan's and Annie's heads snapped back toward the stairs as Emma scampered down. "Are you guys fighting?" the little girl asked.

"No, sweetie," Annie assured her. _Dammit_. She hated arguing near her daughter. But she and Ryan knew how to push each other's buttons. It seemed so funny to her now that she had once been so in love with the man. "Your daddy and I were just discussing politics."

"_Oh_." That was enough to dissuade Emma from asking any follow-up questions.

As soon as Ryan and Emma left, Annie charged into the parlor. To no one in particular, she fumed, "Ugh! He makes me so - -"

"What – _crazy_?"

Annie looked up to see J.R. standing there in the middle of the room. They had mostly avoided each other since their...encounter. To say their plan had failed would be a gross understatement. Being together one last time hadn't made those feelings disappear. If anything, it exacerbated them. It was all Annie could do to avoid thinking about J.R. - the intoxicating scent of his cologne, the feel of his skin against hers – thoughts that caused her to wake with a start in the middle of the night, in a bed she shared with another man. And yet, despite the undercurrent of passion that sparked between them, it seemed that J.R. still loathed her.

She shot him a glare at his remark. "I was going to say 'angry'. How long have you been standing there, anyway?"

J.R. smirked. "Awhile. That was one heated political discussion you were having there."

_Oh,__no_. He had heard much more than she wanted him to. "God, J.R., shut up."

Still smiling, he moved toward her. Like a magnet on metal, she was compelled to inch closer to him, too. Standing there, face-to-face, nose against nose, J.R., for no other reason than compulsion, slipped his hands against her waist, and pulled her up against him. Annie felt something hard pulsating against her thigh.

J.R. stood there a moment, confused. Then, pulling away from her, he reached in his pocket to retrieve his cell phone. He had set it on vibrate while in a meeting, and forgot to change it back. Marissa was calling him. Seeing her name appear on his phone filled him with a confusing sense of dread, and it made him feel immediately guilty. But that guilt fled as quickly as it had arrived. Annie approached him once again and gently took the phone from his hand, then lightly tossed it onto the couch. J.R. didn't look back. Even if it had smashed into a thousand pieces, he wouldn't have looked back. He remained transfixed on the woman standing before him.

Annie's breath quickened as J.R. leaned over, she shut her eyes in the anticipation, and his mouth closed over hers. Before the kiss could build in intensity, the moment was interrupted by a strange buzzing noise. J.R. realized it was the phone again. About to dismiss it, a terrible thought crossed him. What if something had happened to A.J? He pulled away again and grasped the phone from the couch.

Marissa had called five times, and left two voice messages. A sick feeling in the pit of his stomach invaded him as he thought the worst. How could he let himself be so stupid and selfish? He listened to Marissa's recorded voice, and with a hurried, "I have to go," he was gone.

A dazed Annie hovered near the couch, and, as if air were deflating out of her, she sank into the cushion.

* * *

"Congratulations, Mrs. Hayward. The test results have confirmed it – you're pregnant."

But Greenlee's reaction was clearly not the elation the doctor probably expected. "Do the test results indicate how long until..." Greenlee spoke slowly, with great difficulty, a knot rose in her throat, "until I lose this baby?" Though the doctor had been made aware of Greenlee's medical history, she was still taken aback by the question. Greenlee sensed this, and quickly followed up. "After my miscarriage five years ago, I was told that I couldn't carry a child to term, that my immune system rejects the pregnancy."

The doctor raised her brow, and looked over the test results once again. "I'm not seeing any indication of that," she said, shaking her head. "The HCG levels are increasing the way they should. As are the progesterone levels. The level of antibodies are normal."

A flood of conflicting emotions filled Greenlee. Joy, dread, fear, relief. She would get a second opinion, of course, but the more she thought about Greg Madden's words to her as she lay in her hospital bed after losing Ryan's baby, the more stupid she felt. He offered the names of doctors who would have given her a second opinion, but she had failed to call his bluff. Dr. Madden hadn't wanted her to conceive again, she realized He had been so obsessed with Erica and her family that he would have used any opportunity to work closely with one of them. He certainly hadn't had to work very hard to convince Kendall to be her surrogate. She would never know what Madden's true intentions were, but one thing Greenlee was very sure of was that it was foolish of her to take his words as gospel.

The sound of someone calling her name snapped her back to reality. No one knew she was here, and who would think to look for her in a hospital out of town? "Greenlee!" the small voice called out again. As she looked down, she saw Emma Lavery running toward her, with Ryan following closely after.


	3. Chapter 3

Greenlee stepped into the hospital's lobby, her mind still reeling from her appointment, but the sound of a familiar little voice stopped her in her tracks. "Greenlee!" the voice called again, and its source ran straight to her. _Emma __Lavery._And Ryan followed just a few steps behind. Of all the people to run into at a hospital out of town, Ryan and his daughter were the last ones she had expected. What were the odds?

Greenlee bent down to Emma. "Hey, what are you doing here?" Greenlee asked with as much joviality as she could muster.

As Ryan approached them, he added, "I could ask you the same thing."

Greenlee plastered on a smile, trying desperately to keep her composure. "Of all the gin joints, right?" she said with a nervous laugh and a shrug.

Mercifully, Greenlee was saved from having to say anything further at that moment, as Emma responded to the original question. "We came to see Corinna and Corinna's new baby."

"I was also here to visit someone," Greenlee added weakly.

"Really?" Ryan asked, as if trying to unravel her story. "Who do you know in Center City?"

"Just an old friend," said Greenlee evenly.

"Anyone I might know?" Ryan asked, in a way that sounded more like a fishing expedition than friendly conversation.

"You don't know all my friends, Ryan." Greenlee tried to hide her defensiveness, yet it still crept into her tone.

Ryan, as if sensing the contentious turn the conversation was taking, turned to his daughter. "Hey, Ems, I noticed the vending machine has those granola bars you like." He handed her a dollar from his wallet. "Just stay where I can see you."

As Emma happily skipped away, Ryan turned to face Greenlee. His demeanor had changed; his eyes now burned with intensity. "What are you _really_ doing here?"

"What I said," Greenlee answered firmly. "I was here to visit someone. What? Do you think that if you ask me enough times my answer will miraculously change? Like there's some nefarious reason for me to be here? I know you and everyone else in this town keeps insisting on believing the worst in me. What do you think I'm here to do, burn the place down?"

"Look," Ryan said, "I'm not accusing you of anything. I just want to know what you're doing here."

"In case I haven't made this clear," Greenlee bristled, "what I do and where I do it is none of your business."

"Greenlee," his voice had softened, "if you're sick, you can tell me."

"If I were sick, I'd tell my husband, the doctor."

Ryan looked as if he were about to say something, perhaps a crack about David no longer being able to practice medicine, but then he hesitated. At last, he said, "He doesn't know you're here, does he? That's why you couldn't go to PVH, and that's why you're so freaked out to see me here. Whatever it is, Greenlee, whatever you can't tell David, you can tell me. You can tell me anything."

"Gee, I can't remember where I've heard those words before," Greenlee sniped. This was Jake and Amanda's wedding all over again. But she wasn't going to make the same mistake again. Clearly, Ryan was not the trustworthy friend he pretended to be. There was only one option now: get the hell out of there and tell David the truth before Ryan could drop any anvils in front of her husband. "Anyway, there's nothing to tell. I was visiting someone, just like you were. And right now, I have someplace I need to be. Tell Emma I said 'bye'." With that, she pushed past him and walked off. Ryan looked after her with an expression of concern.

* * *

Marissa hated hospitals. Aside from when she was born, she had never even set foot in one until her parents died. She hadn't had any childhood illnesses, she had never broken any bones, she hadn't ingested anything that she wasn't supposed to. She, and the people in her inner-circle, had lived charmed lives. It wasn't until the fateful night of that church get-together that she had visited a hospital for the first time in her memory, to identify her parents' bodies. After that, she was shot by Marian Chandler. And then, she had supported her husband during his battle with cancer. Both times. And all of the other catastrophes in between. As she sat in the waiting area at PVH, the familiar hospital stench reminded her of all the painful memories associated with it. She wanted to be anywhere else right then, anywhere but there.

All she knew about the accident so far was the little that Tad had told her. Apparently, Krystal had been on her way home from work when a drunk driver blew through a stop sign and plowed into her car. The driver of the other car came out of the accident with barely a scratch, and Brot had taken him down to the police station.

She stood when she saw Jake Martin approach her. "How is she?"

"She's stable," Jake said. "The main focus right now is replenishing the blood she lost.."

"I'm a universal donor," Marissa offered. "I can give some of mine."

"Unfortunately," Jake explained, "the screening process for donated blood is about three days. Krystal needs some that's readily available. But you know what? If you wanna help, we're always looking for donations to the reserves. Just say the word, and I can set you up with a nurse to make the donation."

Marissa nodded. "Yeah, that's a really good idea. Thank you."

It was then that JR arrived and rushed to Marissa's side. After a quick embrace, JR pulled away. "How are you holding up?" he asked. "Have you heard anything yet?"

Marissa squeezed JR's hand reassuringly. "Jake says she's stable."

"I'm gonna give you guys some privacy," Jake said. "I'm going to give Tad the update."

JR turned to him and smiled obligingly. "Thanks, Jake."

As Jake walked away, Marissa led JR to a more private corner of the room. "I didn't think you'd come," she admitted, her voice barely above a whisper. "I left you so many messages."

"I'm so sorry," JR said. "I was working and I turned off my phone…I'm not going to let this happen again, I promise you that. Our family is too important to me."

Both surprised and impressed by JR's words, Marissa asked, "What brought this on? I mean, I'm thrilled that you want to make AJ and me more of a priority, and I love you for that, but you've seemed so preoccupied lately."

"I know," JR said, "and it's just that, when I was in the car on my way over here, all I could think about was what I would tell AJ if he lost his Nana. He's been through so much, and Krystal's been one of the few constants in his life. And I thought about you. You were with me every step of the way when I had cancer, and I owe it to you to be there for you when you need me. My priorities have been out-of-whack lately, but that's about to change."

Marissa wrapped her arms around her husband. "I can't tell you how much that means to me." As they held onto one another, Marissa wondered just how long JR's new attitude would last.

* * *

Jake and Tad stood a distance away from JR and Marissa, mid-conversation. "There's something else I wanted to talk to you about," Jake said. "But I have to be careful not to violate doctor/patient confidentiality."

"Is this about Krystal?" Tad asked.

"Yeah," Jake paused for a moment, as if trying to carefully word his question. "For starters, do you happen to know Krystal's blood type?"

"Sure, AB-positive. Same as Jenny's," Tad answered quickly. He suddenly looked worried. "Why? Does she need - "

"No, no, that's already being taken care of. This has nothing to do with the accident. This is about something Marissa said earlier. She told me that she's a universal blood donor."

"Okay. And...?"

"_And_, that's just not possible. Unless she's mistaken and she meant that she's a universal _plasma_ donor." Jake scanned the waiting area for possible eavesdroppers, and lowered his voice when he spoke again. "But if what Marissa said is correct, then there's no way she's Krystal's daughter."

* * *

Scott and Annie lay in bed in their shared room, silent. But Annie, though physically present, was miles away. She faced away from him, so Scott was unable to see the faraway look in her eyes. Her encounter with JR earlier, before he was called away, refused to leave her mind. What was wrong with her? She had the perfect man: sweet, loving, attentive, honest. He wasn't on the rebound, he didn't have a harem of exes vying for his attention, and he was head-over-heels in love with her. JR certainly didn't love her. He probably didn't even like her. Why did she do this to herself, time and time again – want men who are only going to hurt her, and dive into relationships that are doomed to fail?

"You okay?" Scott's voice cut through the silence in the dark room like a blade.

Annie rolled over to face him. "I was just thinking."

"What about?"

Annie recovered quickly. "A lot of things. _You_, how wonderful you are..." She let her hand playfully spider up his bare chest as she spoke. "How lucky I am that I'm here, next to someone like you, someone who actually genuinely loves me. I don't think I've ever had that before."

Scott pulled her closer, and protectively wrapped both of his arms around her.

"I feel so safe and so loved when I'm with you, Scott." She repositioned herself so her head was resting against Scott's shoulder. "After my marriage to Ryan ended, I felt like I couldn't let anyone in again. It took so long for me to trust him after my disaster of a marriage to Terry, and then I finally gave in, and it was good for awhile. Then he literally stopped loving me overnight. No, scratch that. It turns out he never even loved me at all. It was always Greenlee. After that, I couldn't let myself be vulnerable again. So when I fell in love with Aidan, I pushed him away. I guess I thought that maybe he'd fight for me. I needed him to prove that he wouldn't treat me like Ryan had. But then he turned against me so quickly...I guess it serves me right after everything I've done, doesn't it?"

"Listen to me," Scott said, "Everyone deserves another chance. They were all idiots for letting you get away. You're not the lucky one here, you know. I am. If they couldn't see how amazing you are, they didn't deserve you. I promise you, everything's going to be different this time. I'm not going anywhere."

Annie clung to him tighter. Maybe this attraction to JR wasn't attraction at all. Maybe it was just her subconscious sabotaging her again. Going after another man who would take her love and destroy her with it. But she couldn't let that happen this time. Scott was stable. Scott was safe. And he wasn't going to break her heart.

* * *

"Are you sure about this?" JR asked. He and Marissa stood with Jake and Tad, in the waiting room at PVH.

"I'm definitely O-negative," Marissa affirmed. "I've been donating blood to the Red Cross since I was a junior in high school."

"And we've confirmed Krystal's blood type," Jake added. "So from the looks of it, you two are not mother and daughter."

"What about a DNA test?" JR suggested. "Just to be positive."

"With the way Hayward's breathing down everyone's necks about unnecessary spending, I'm not sure he would go for that," Jake said.

Marissa's eyes narrowed. "I disagree. With how possessive he is of his children, David would want to know for sure."

"Do you really want to bring Hayward in on this?" Tad asked.

"Definitely," Marissa said. "If there's a possibility that David and I aren't related, I want it in writing, okay? I want something that I can frame and hang on my wall."

* * *

This was it. The moment of truth. Greenlee lingered outside the front door of Wildwind, fiddling with the key to buy her some more time. She wanted to wait before springing the news on David that she was pregnant, but Ryan had made that impossible. She exhaled and opened the door.

She could see David sitting on the couch as she entered. He rose to greet her. "I was starting to get worried," he said. "I called Fusion, but you weren't there."

"I had some errands to run," Greenlee said. "Can we sit down? I need to talk to you about something."

"Yeah, of course."

Greenlee tried to read David's expression, but it puzzled her. He looked worried, almost like he had already anticipated what she was going to say. Did he already know? And if not, what did he think she was about to tell him? As soon as David sat down, he shot back up again, and pulled his cell phone from his pocket.

"It's Marissa," he said apologetically.

"Take it," Greenlee urged.

He did. "Marissa? ... Is everything all right?...Yeah, I can be there right away."

"David, what is it?" Greenlee asked once the phone call ended.

"She didn't give me many details. There's been some sort of accident, and Marissa wants me to come to the hospital."

"Is she okay?"

"From the way she sounded over the phone," David began, "I'm guessing she wasn't the one hurt in the accident."

"So maybe she wants you there for moral support. That's a good sign, right?" Greenlee paused a beat. "Would it be better if I didn't intrude?"

"No, of course not. You're family."

It was strangely comforting hearing David say that. _Family_. She had a step-daughter and a step-grandson she hardly knew. Maybe this would be their opportunity to change that. She'd have to come up with something for AJ to call her, though. Grandma Greenlee wasn't going to happen. "Oh, no, I completely forgot," she said suddenly. With everything weighing on her mind lately, Fusion business managed to temporarily slip it. "I'm supposed to go over the new Fusion Natural campaign. Um...you go ahead. I'll re-schedule and then meet you at the hospital."

"Are you sure you don't want me to wait for you?" David asked.

"No," Greenlee insisted. "You should be with your daughter. I won't be long."

David nodded. "All right. I'll see you when you get there."

* * *

Greenlee had spent almost an hour on the phone with Randi in an attempt to find a more appropriate time to discuss the new ad campaign. When everything was finally settled, she hung up the phone, grabbed her handbag, and dashed to the front door. As she opened it to leave, the sight of Ryan standing there on the other side, about to ring the bell, startled her. "What are you doing here?"

"To get some answers," Ryan said. "Can I come it?"

"This isn't a good time, Ryan. I was just leaving." Greenlee tried to walk past him, but Ryan blocked the way.

"Look," he said, "I meant what I said – whatever it is, you can tell me. If David's the problem here, I can deal with him."

"There's nothing to 'deal with'. Why are you even here?" Greenlee asked, growing more impatient. "I thought you had Emma tonight."

"She's at a sleepover," Ryan replied. "Why are you dodging my questions?"

"Because my life stopped being your business the minute you decided that the best way to honor your dead fiancée was to sleep with Kendall."

"Don't do this, Greenlee," Ryan pleaded. "Don't shut me out just to punish me."

"Don't you hate me?" Greenlee asked. "For what I did to Kendall?"

"I was angry about what you did," Ryan admitted, "but it doesn't mean I stopped caring about you."

Greenlee began to pace back-and-forth in front of the doorway. "Ugh! What will it take to get you to leave?"

"Just give me five minutes, Greenlee. Let me say what I have to say, and if you still don't want to tell me what's going on with you, I'll accept that."

"Seriously?" She stood still. "That's all it will take? And then you'll drop this permanently?"

"I promise you you, Greenlee. That's all."

"Fine. Five minutes. Any longer, and I'm releasing the hounds."

Seemingly unfazed by the empty threat, Ryan shut the door behind him as he entered Wildwind, and the two of them made their way into the parlor.

"The clock starts now," said Greenlee tersely. "Go."

"Greenlee," Ryan began, "I don't know what's going on with you, but whatever it is, I want to help you. If you need help keeping this from David, I can do that, too. You've got to get away from him, Greenlee. The man is poison. His kind of love destroys people."

"That's really funny coming from you," Greenlee spat. "I didn't think I could love again after I lost Leo. And then you showed me that I could. I gave you what was left of my heart, and you destroyed it. So, really, Ryan, who's the one who destroys people? You _knew_ what Leo's death did to me. So how do you decide to 'help' your pregnant wife? By pretending to plunge to your death off a cliff, just like Leo had. You took the worst day of my life, and you made me re-live it. Oh, and here's the best part - you did it on what would have been Leo's and my third wedding anniversary." She gave a mocking snicker. "And you say _David's_ love hurts people?"

"I know I hurt you, Greenlee, but I thought we got past all that. You said you forgave me." Ryan made a few strides toward her, but Greenlee moved away from him, and he made no further attempts to approach her.

Greenlee stood her arms crossed and facing away from Ryan. "I thought I had. But when I saw you with Erica, and then found out you slept with my best friend, those weren't fresh wounds. It just re-opened a lot of old ones."

"I would give anything to take back what I did. I would. But that doesn't make David less toxic. Don't stay in this sham of a marriage just to hurt me. He hurts the people who trust him. I know you think you're the exception to this, but so did Amanda. And Krystal. And Dixie. And Gillian."

Greenlee spun back around to face Ryan. "I am so sick of hearing this same speech from everyone in town. I'm pretty sure I could recite it from memory now. And on that note, I really do need to go."

Greenlee roughly grabbed her purse by the strap, forgetting she had left it open, and its contents spilled to the floor. "Fabulous," she muttered, and bent down to pick up tubes of lipstick, her checkbooks, her keys, her vitamins... "Don't. I've got it," she said sharply when she saw Ryan descend to the floor to help her. But before Greenlee was able to, Ryan snatched a pill bottle that landed near his feet.

Ryan stood up, still clutching the bottle in his hand, staring intently at the label. Greenlee lunged for it, but it was too late.

"Pre-natal vitamins," he said. "That's what you've been hiding. You're pregnant."


	4. Chapter 4

David stepped off the elevator and strode to the waiting area at Pine Valley Hospital, where Marissa, JR, Tad, and Jake stood huddled together. "I got here as quickly as I could," David said, trying to suppress any hint of panic in his voice. Marissa hadn't given many details over the phone, but based on everyone's faces, something was definitely wrong. "What is it? Is it AJ?"

"Actually," Marissa spoke slowly, almost reluctantly, it seemed, "it's Krystal. She's going to be fine – I was just in there – but that's not why I called you."

David eyed the four of them warily. "Why do I get the feeling that I've just been set up?"

Marissa moved forward. "There's something you should know."

* * *

David sat alone in an empty exam room, some time later, his head in his hands. How did the night end up like this? One moment he thought his daughter was reaching out to him, and the next, he was finding out that his daughter might not be his daughter at all.

_"Look," Jake had said, "based on the blood types, I'd say with a lot of certainty that Marissa is not Krystal's daughter. But if you guys want to go ahead with the test…"_

_"Yes," Marissa had answered, almost too quickly, "I want definitive proof of this before I get my hopes - " she'd hesitated – "before we all get carried away, you know?"_

_This was almost too much for David to bear. "She's right," he'd managed to choke out. "Elimination by blood type doesn't take into account natural mutation. Do the damn test." He shot a glance at Marissa. "I'm sure Krystal's delighted by your enthusiasm."_

_"Krystal's not aware of this," Tad had snapped. "She doesn't need this right now. Opal's bringing Jenny. We'll have her tested instead."_

_David __responded__ with__ a__ spiteful__ chuckle.__"Why__ stop __there,__ Tad?__ Why__ not __dig __up__ Babe __while__ you're__ at__ it?__ Involve_ her _in__ all__ the__ fun."_

_JR had lunged forward, raising his hand in a position to strike, but Tad had managed to pull him back. "You have a hell of a lot of nerve coming down here and running your mouth," JR seethed. "Marissa called you here as a courtesy."_

_David had remained unfazed by this display. "Now, junior, I thought you knew a load of bull when you saw one. This wasn't a courtesy, was it, Marissa? You've finally found your chance to be rid of me, and all it took was Krystal almost dying in order to make it happen."_

_At this point, Tad had taken a step forward. "If Marissa wants you out of her life, then more power to her. And if you're looking for someone to blame, trying taking a good look in the mirror some time."_

David regretted the comment about Babe as soon as it came out of his mouth. But he couldn't very well back down in front of the Martins. He didn't care what they thought of him, anyway.

Then he thought of Greenlee. She never made it to the hospital, as she'd said she would. Trey's words from earlier echoed in his mind: _But__ the __question __is, __are _you _what __makes __Greenlee __happy?_ He honestly couldn't answer that. They had been distant ever since Erica's plane went down. And then tonight, Greenlee uttered those dreaded words that no one in a relationship wants to hear: "we need to talk." He didn't need to be told what about. It was fairly obvious that she wanted out of their marriage. Maybe it was for the best. If Greenlee got out now, before David could drive her away, just like he'd driven away everyone else he ever loved, then maybe they could manage to retain some semblance of the friendship they once had.

Maybe marrying Greenlee had been a huge mistake. They were friends. They were _more_ than friends – they were family. Then these feelings – unwanted feelings – crept up out of nowhere, threatening to interfere with the one relationship he'd managed not to screw up over the years. So why did he do it? Because she had asked him to. It was true. It certainly wasn't revenge. He had no reason to go after Ryan. Not that Lavery was his favorite person – at best, he barely tolerated the man, and at worst, he despised him – but he didn't wish Ryan any specific harm. He married Greenlee, his friend and former sister-in-law, simply because she asked him to.

But now…he'd already hurt Greenlee enough with the stunt he pulled with Erica's plane. That plane was never supposed to take off in that condition. But he knew Erica. He knew how willful and stubborn she was. Of _course_ she'd insist on taking off anyway. She wouldn't be Erica if she didn't. So he should have known better. It was unusually careless of him. And it caused a rift between him and Greenlee. Yes, his love was toxic. Of course Greenlee would want to leave. Why the hell wouldn't she?

* * *

"Pre-natal vitamins," Ryan said, clutching the bottle in his hand. "That's what you've been hiding. You're pregnant."

Greenlee stood frozen in front of him. _Dammit_. She sucked in a breath to calm herself before speaking. "So now you know, okay? Can you just leave it alone?"

Ryan appeared confused. "But how can you...? You're taking vitamins. Does this mean you can carry this baby to term?"

"Apparently. According to an OBGYN who _isn't _demented."

"You think Madden purposely misdiagnosed you."

"Would that be such a stretch?" Greenlee asked. "This is, after all, the same man who planted Erica's fetus into his own wife."

"No," Ryan agreed. "Not a stretch. After you left town, we learned a lot about Madden's shady practice. How he'd manipulate women into becoming surrogates. He had this island where he kept the pregnant women. But – but that isn't the sickest part. They were all his biological children. And when he decided someone wasn't fit to be a parent, he'd give them a false diagnosis."

Greenlee blinked. "Like me." She paused for a moment to reflect on her miscarriage years earlier. "The night I lost our baby, I was with Kendall. We were making all kinds of plans, when I starting experiencing some spotting. We were worried, and we would have gone directly to the hospital, but it was storming, so we thought we'd call Dr. Madden just to play it safe. He _insisted_ on coming over. So we waited. And in the meantime, we went online and discovered that my symptoms were perfectly normal, so we forgot about the whole thing and looked at shoes instead."

Ryan nodded. "What happened when Madden got there?"

"We told him it was a false alarm, but he wanted to examine me just in case. I felt fine, but he insisted on bringing me to the hospital. It was only after he examined me that I felt any pain. And then all I can remember is waking up in the hospital, and I was told I had lost the baby. I accused Dr. Madden of doing something to cause the miscarriage, and everyone told me that that was my grief talking, but maybe I was right."

Ryan stared into her eyes. They were silent for an uncomfortably long time. Finally, Ryan managed to say, "This ties you to David forever."

Greenlee shrugged. "Children will do that. Just look at you and Kendall."

Ryan took a step forward, slightly invading Greenlee's personal space. "I know how much that hurt you. When you found out Kendall used her egg instead of yours. You wanted to have our baby so badly. I should've listened to you back then."

"None of that matters now," Greenlee insisted. "It's over. We've both moved on, right?"

Ryan's eyes brimmed with intensity. "Tell him it's mine."

* * *

Marissa and JR continued sitting in an exam room after the procedure was over. They sat in awkward silence until Marissa finally spoke. "Have you ever seen the musical _Annie_?"

The question was odd. JR half wondered if it was some sort of trick question. Annie. The mere sound of her name sent a shiver through him. "I probably saw the movie once or twice on tv when I was a kid," he managed to respond with forced nonchalance.

Marissa stared wistfully into space as she spoke. "There's this song that Annie sings where she wonders what her parents are like. Are they nearby? What are they doing right now? That type of thing. I think there's a line that goes like, 'he may be pouring her coffee, she may be straightening his tie.' I can't help but wonder who they are. Are they still alive? Where are they? Are they good people? Are they educated? Do they do volunteer work? Do they go to church? I want to be able to look at them and know that I came from them."

JR put a reassuring hand on Marissa's shoulder. "I just hope you're not getting your hopes up too high. Believe me, there's no such thing as a perfect parent."

Marissa sighed. "I know that, but, it felt so wrong being told that David and Krystal were my biological parents. I couldn't understand how I came from them...that my mother sold her own baby, and that my father is..._David_. This past year I've second-guessed every choice I've ever made. I've had to re-evaluate who I am. I'd have a devious thought, and I'd think 'is this the David in me?' Or I'd think about doing something impulsive or irresponsible, and think, 'is this the Krystal in me?' But now, it's like a huge weight has been lifted."

"Hey," JR said softly, "no matter what this test says, nothing can change who you are. This past year, with everything that's happened, you've been the glue that's held this family together. You came into my life at a time when I desperately needed you. You were there by my side when I got sick. You're an amazing mother to AJ." He paused briefly and cupped her cheek with his palm. "You forgave me when I had no right to be forgiven. Nothing's going to change that, okay? No matter who your parents turn out to be."

* * *

Greenlee circled around Ryan, hands on her hips. "I should have known this would happen. So predictable."

"What are you talking about?"

"You. _Us._ When I wanted a life with you and our baby, you wanted a vasectomy and a trip off a cliff on your motorcycle. When I finally start to heal, guess who shows up at his own funeral, with a million excuses, begging for forgiveness?"

"I hurt you. I get it. I own that," Ryan said gruffly. "I don't know how many times I have to say it before you can accept that."

But Greenlee ignored Ryan's words and continued. "When you were begging me to take you back, you swore you would never stop loving me, that you could never replace me. But I come back, not even two years later, and you have a brand new wife and daughter. You were giving Annie the family that you refused to give me."

"You can still have it, Greenlee. The three of us, and Emma and Spike. We can still have everything we always wanted."

Her eyes flared with anger, and she shook her head. "I spent months trying to convince you that we weren't over. Everyone told me to move on, no one more so than you. And then, I do. I follow everyone's advice. And what happens? You decide you want me again."

Ryan inched toward her and grasped onto her shoulders, his hands talon-like. It was as if he were a hawk clutching its prey, ready to fly off with it. "Because I had never stopped loving you. When I lost my memory, I also lost all that hurt and anger I had been holding onto for so long. You helped me remember what we had."

"Ryan, there's nothing left."

"You've said those words before, Greenlee. Those exact words. You didn't mean them then, and you don't mean them now. Hayward's got you brainwashed. He's turned you into this bitter person I don't even recognize. I know you. I know you better that anyone."

Greenlee broke away from his hold. "Do you remember the night that we went to the 76ers game? You kept going on and on about how I needed to be 'real' and how 'culturally deprived' I was, and preaching to me about food stamps and having compassion for my fellow man. I realized that night that you didn't like _me_, you just wanted to mold me into your idea of the perfect woman, because the one you really wanted was married to someone else. So I pulled out all the stops: pretending to like basketball, reading Gillian's diary so I could be more like her, so you'd want me the way you wanted her."

"Then you changed." he insisted. "The woman I fell in love with is the real you."

"When I'm with you, I don't know who the real me is. I always end up in this trap, where my own feelings of self-worth are contingent upon you being in love with me. I always turn into this stranger, this person I think you want me to be. I hate living my life like that. You say I'm someone you don't recognize? Well, this is me, Ryan. And the woman you say you love? Doesn't exist."

"No. No, I don't believe that, Greenlee. I don't know what Hayward's been saying to you, but you can't believe him."

Yet another attack on her husband was enough to set Greenlee over the edge. "For the last time, David is not manipulating me. I've been the one calling the shots from the beginning. It was my idea to get married. It was my idea to surprise the entire town in my wedding dress. It was my idea to do it on Valentine's Day. It was my idea to sabotage Fusion. All of it. Mine. _I'm_ the one in control here. Not David. _Me_."

Ryan gave her a look of - she didn't know what it was. Pity, maybe? "I knew that I had hurt you," he spoke slowly, "but I didn't realize I'd hurt you this much." He lurched forward to stroke her hair. "I told you that I'd spend the rest of my life trying to make up for what I did to you. Hayward's not the answer, Greenlee. And the sooner you realize that, the sooner we can finally start over – you and me, and the baby."

Before Greenlee could reply, or argue, or threaten Ryan with attack dogs she didn't have, she saw a figure out of the corner of her eye. She whirled around to see David, his expression stricken, standing there on the steps leading to the parlor. Weakly, she asked, "How's Marissa?" Met with no response, she decided to address the elephant in the room. "How long were you standing there, David?"

David slowly moved toward Greenlee and Ryan. "Long enough."


	5. Chapter 5

As JR entered the Chandler mansion's darkened parlor, the soft glow of a small lamp caught his eye. On the couch beside it, he spotted Annie curled up with a book, in her nightie and robe. Annie didn't wear the kind of robes Marissa usually sported, made of material that resembled a fuzzy bath towel, and covering everything below the neck but her hands and ankles. Annie's silk robes were almost sheer, and only came down to her mid-thigh, revealing a pair of tan, toned legs. Taking a moment to watch her, unnoticed, he knew that keeping his promise to Marissa – hell, to himself – would be even more difficult than he had imagined.

As if sensing the gaze in her direction, Annie looked up suddenly. "Hey," she said softly. "I wondered when you'd be back. You tore out of here so quickly."

JR's feet remained planted, silently warning himself to keep at an appropriate distance. He gave a nod toward the book still in Annie's hands. "There isn't enough light in here. You'll ruin your eyesight." It was something his mother had warned him many times as a kid, and even as the words were coming out, he didn't understand why he was saying them. Why the hell would he care whether or not Annie strained her eyes reading in the dark? She was nobody to him, just an unhealthy addiction. Just an object of purely physical desire. Nothing more.

Annie gave a dismissive snort. "I think I'll survive," she told him. "Where's Marissa?"

"She went up to bed, I think. It's been a long night."

Setting her book aside, Annie stood. "Everything okay?"

"When is everything ever okay around here?" JR asked with cynical chuckle.

"What happened?"

Though he didn't realize it at the time, JR began walking toward her. "The condensed version? Krystal was in an accident, and, it turns out, Marissa's probably not her daughter."

Annie's eyes went wide. "What? What do you mean 'not her daughter'?

"Apparently their blood types aren't compatible. They did a DNA test just to be sure, but it was mostly to placate Marissa." He paused and raised an eyebrow. "Krystal's going to be fine, by the way."

"That was going to be my second question," she said adamantly, before adding, "I'm sure if she were dead you'd have mentioned that already." She paused for a beat. "Why is all this coming out now? What – Marissa blows into town last year claiming to be Babe's twin, and everyone just takes her word for it?"

JR felt a pang of guilt that Annie's words hadn't offended him. Making an effort to appear so, he furrowed his brow slightly. Marissa was, after all, the mother of his son, even if it was a role she'd only had for a few months. "That's not how it happened. Marissa was just as surprised as anyone else."

"How's she taking all this?"

He wasn't sure whether Annie was genuinely concerned, just making conversation, or trolling for gossip. But he continued on anyway. "As well as can be expected. Actually, I'd say she seems happy about it." JR approached the bar, and poured club soda into a small crystal glass. "The way she was talking, I knew she was getting her hopes up, but, hey, at least she's not a Hayward."

* * *

"I knew that I had hurt you," Ryan spoke slowly, "but I didn't realize I'd hurt you this much." He moved forward to stroke Greenlee's hair. "I told you that I'd spend the rest of my life trying to make up for what I did to you. Hayward's not the answer, Greenlee. And the sooner you realize that, the sooner we can finally start over – you and me, and the baby."

Before she could respond, Greenlee saw a figure out of the corner of her eye, and whirled around to see David, his expression stricken, standing there on the steps leading to Wildwind's parlor. Weakly, she asked, "How's Marissa?" No response. She felt every part of herself fill with dread. "How long were you standing there?"

David gradually moved toward the pair; any visible expression of hurt was gone, his face now revealing no emotion whatsoever. Whatever he was feeling seemed to be carefully guarded. "Long enough."

"You should go, Ryan," was all Greenlee could say.

But Ryan only shook his head. "No. No way am I leaving you alone with him."

David remained uncharacteristically quiet, his face still unreadable.

"Please," Greenlee gently prodded, "just go."

Ryan opened his mouth as if to speak, but then seemed to change his mind, instead carefully choosing his next words. "If that's what you want. Just know that...if you need anything..."

Greenlee raised her hand to silence him. "Thank you. It means a lot. But I need to talk to David alone." Her tone was soft, sweet even. She couldn't help it. Wanting to be Ryan's friend, her desire for his approval, had been so ingrained in her that it was practically a conditioned response. She'd have to work on that.

As if admitting defeat, Ryan merely nodded in her direction and walked out without looking back.

Greenlee then waited for David to say something. This wasn't like him. He should have thrown Ryan out himself. Insulted him. Shouted. Anything. She was glad he hadn't, of course. David's brand of help sometimes overcomplicated matters.

The silence frightened her; the only sound was the pounding of her heart, so loud that she half wondered if even David could hear it. She sucked in a cool breath to calm herself.

David had already removed his jacket, draping it over the back of the gold and burgundy upholstered chair that sat right at the bottom of the steps leading into the room, facing the sofa, and tossed his keys onto the end table. "I've known this was coming," he said at last. "It's only fitting, really, losing my daughter and my wife on the same day."

Everything Greenlee had planned to say left her mind entirely. She should have never let David go to the hospital alone, she silently scolded herself. "Oh my God. Is Marissa…?"

"Marissa's fine," David cut her off, in a voice that was much more terse than Greenlee was accustomed to being spoken to by him. "More than fine, most likely. She's just not my daughter."

"I don't understand."

"It turns out that Krystal didn't just sell our child, she _misplaced_ her."

"What? I…" she attempted to find the right words, but they just weren't there. It was David's words that now echoed in her head. _Losing__ my __daughter __and __my__ wife __on__ the __same __day._

"David, please know, I don't know what you heard, or thought you heard just now, but you didn't lose me." She grabbed onto his hands and gazed into his eyes reassuringly. "Whatever happened tonight, we can get through this together. I'm not going anywhere."

"No. You're not." He freed his hands from hers. His voice became softer, and he looked into her eyes with great intensity. "I gave you your life back, Greenlee. Now let me take back mine. This wasn't supposed to last. You and I both know that. At least let me leave with some semblance of dignity before we have the chance to destroy each other."

Greenlee shook her head, incredulous. "I know that's not what you want. You know why? Because I know how you feel about me. I'm not about to let you walk away because of a misunderstanding. What you heard Ryan say was completely out of context."

"You know what I'm struggling with?" David snapped. His cool demeanor seemed to evaporate at the mention of Ryan's name. "Why the hell Lavery was even here to begin with. Why is he still making a habit of dropping in whenever he damn well pleases?"

"This is what Ryan and I do," she insisted. "We convince ourselves that we give each other something that no one else can, but all we've ever given each other is a lifetime of misery. I realize that now. I'm done."

"Who are you trying to convince, Greenlee? You'll never be done with Ryan."

* * *

"If it turns out that she's not Babe's sister, does this change anything?"

It was a question that made JR feel uncomfortable. Marissa's connection to his late wife was something he tried very hard not to think about, and now that the connection probably didn't exist, he wanted to think about it even less. "It shouldn't, right?" He tried to appear nonchalant. "Babe was a very different person."

Annie's expression had changed. There was a subtle sadness in her eyes that not even a forced smile could hide. "I almost envy Marissa, getting another chance. I lost my entire family in one day. I thought I had done the right thing, you know? But there I was, nineteen years old, with nothing and nobody." Her voice broke a little. "How great would it have been for someone to just say 'here you go – here's a _new_ family'?"

JR was well aware of Annie's past, and he was regrettably familiar with what her brother had been capable of. But somehow, watching her speak about it, made him feel oddly compassionate toward her. "For the record, Richie was a sociopath. You should've been given a medal for having him locked up." The urge to touch Annie was overwhelming, but for the first time, it had nothing to do with lust. The impulse felt foreign to him, and he turned away from her, poured more club soda into his half-empty glass, and changed the subject. "Anyway, it's not as if Marissa's getting some kind of clean slate. If I found out tomorrow that there'd been some sort of mistake, and my real parents were the second coming of Ozzie and Harriet, what would that change? I wouldn't be any different. It couldn't make my childhood any better." He took a thoughtful sip of the bubbly liquid. "What's done is done. No 'new family' can make up for that."

"Right. Like you had it so bad?"

"Don't think that I've had some kind of charmed life, Annie. I haven't."

"You know how many people would kill to have what you had growing up?"

He couldn't help but take the bait. Of all the impulses he had regarding Annie, the easiest one to give in to was the one to push her away. "Coming from anyone else, I'd have taken that figuratively." He smiled at his own joke.

Annie shot him a glare, as if to say, _Go __ahead. __Hide __behind __your __jokes_. _They're __not __fooling__ anyone._" Please. You're like the kind of spoiled rich kid who'd spit out his silver spoon because he wanted it in platinum."

"You want to know what it was like?" JR challenged, his voice raised. "My mom and Tad couldn't stay happy with each other for more than a couple years at a time. Oh - and that was before my mother faked her own death. And my father, when he wasn't busy trying to control my life, was constantly telling me what a disappointment I was to him."

But Annie appeared unfazed. "Yeah? When my parents weren't telling me that I wasn't special like my brother, I was living in constant fear that I, or someone I loved, would be murdered by him. I win." Once she spoke, her eyes continued to give away what her triumphant smile attempted to mask.

JR softened his stance a little. "I'm sorry you had to go through that." He looked down at his near-empty glass, watching the bubbles rise and then burst at the surface. The small table lamp in the corner was still the only thing illuminating the room. He watched their shadows projected on the wall, at Annie's silhouette. His instincts were screaming at him to reach out toward her, but a tiny glint of rational thought stopped him. Maybe this is what she does. This vulnerable act. Maybe this was how she was able to worm her way into his father's bed. And Scott's. This woman was clearly a greedy opportunist. And an unstable one at that. How else could one explain, he thought bitterly, why a vibrant, sexy woman like Annie could go for a man in his seventies, or a milquetoast unlucky-in-love loser like his "cousin"?

"I think I'm going to turn in," Annie said at last. She seemed uneasy by the silence. "You were right – it's been a long night."

As Annie reached the heavy oak doors that lead out into the hall, JR couldn't help watching her walk away. Why did he torture himself like this? He didn't have to let her live in the mansion. One quick phone call, and she was out of there. If his father had any idea that Annie was still there, she'd be gone. Not even Scotty's protesting could stop it. The truth was, for reasons even he couldn't fully explain to himself, he wanted her there.

But he loved Marissa. He did. For a lot of reasons. And when he could think clearly again, he would remember what they were.

* * *

Greenlee lifted her chin defiantly. "I _am_ done with Ryan. I don't love him, and, honestly, I'm not sure that I ever did."

"Well, then you've done a damn good impression of it all this time."

"I even fooled myself. And I think deep down, Ryan knows that he doesn't love me either."

"That's not what it looked like to me. But let's back up, shall we? You're leaving out the best part. 'The _baby'_."

Greenlee shut her eyes. They had gone for so long without mentioning the baby that she'd hoped he hadn't heard Ryan after all. She didn't want him finding out this way, and now she was going to have to say out loud everything she had feared in silence. What if that doctor in Center City was wrong, and she really couldn't carry to term? What if she wasn't cut out to be a mother? Sure, she'd wanted kids before, obsessively so, but that was mostly so she could own a little piece of Ryan. Once she'd finally given up that pipe dream, she'd always told herself that she didn't want children of her own. There was so much she wanted to say, but she wasn't even close to being ready to think about any of it, so all that slipped from her mouth was, "Oh, that."

"Yeah, _that_. Let's talk about that. Or better yet, let's talk about Rio."

"_Rio_?" This was about the last thing she expected David to mention. They'd moved past this. He knew why she went to Rio, why she had to go with Ryan, and why she was reluctant to tell him about it. So why was he bringing it up now? And then the implication began to set in. "No. You can't think…nothing happened in Rio, except for a lot of nausea. I'm sorry about whatever happened tonight, but you don't get to doubt me. Not about this."

"Because you've been nothing but honest so far?" he all but spat. "You took a test. Are you telling me it was a false negative?"

Greenlee exhaled. "Fine," she said through gritted teeth. "I lied. Okay? That test was sitting in my purse until a few days ago."

The color drained from David's face. "So you hadn't even taken it. Why, Greenlee? Why say it was negative? Why continue to lie about it for two months?"

She wasn't sure how to even answer this. There were so many reasons, all swimming around in her head in a jumbled, chaotic cluster. "I wanted you and everyone else to get off my back so I could concentrate on Fusion. I just couldn't face it at the time." It was a weak excuse, and she knew it.

After a silence that felt both long and excruciating, David finally said, with a new-found gentleness, "You'll need to see a doctor as soon as possible. If you've gone this long without seeing someone…"

"I already have."

David looked up at her sharply.

Anticipating his next question, she quickly added, "It wasn't at PVH. I went out of town."

"Of course you did," was his blistering reply. "And took Ryan with you, apparently."

"No. It's not like that. He just happened to be at the hospital at the same time."

"The one out of town."

"Yes. And it was a complete coincidence. He didn't know I was going to be there. And if I had known that I'd run into anyone I knew, especially Ryan, I'd have picked a different hospital."

David sat down on the soft, buttercream couch, sitting at the edge of the cushion so as not to disturb the half dozen or so throw pillows that adorned it. Letting his head rest in his palm, he didn't look at her as he spoke. "I can't go through this again – what I went through with Trevor and Marissa. I'll admit, when the pregnancy test fell out of your purse that day, I was initially hopeful. But it wasn't rational." When Greenlee sat next to him, his gaze met hers once again. "And then when you told me you that weren't pregnant, you weren't the only one who was relieved."

"In what universe?" She asked, startled. "You were the one who wanted kids."

"And it was my understanding that you didn't. When did that change? Or was it only my child that you didn't want?"

"That's not fair, David. When I had my miscarriage, it devastated me. I never wanted to experience that kind of pain again. And then believing that I couldn't even carry a child to term? Why risk that kind of heartbreak again?"

David seemed to pick up on the operative word. "_Believing_ you couldn't carry to term?"

"Yeah." She nodded, smiling now. "The doctor confirmed it today. I can have this baby."

"I'm happy for you, Greenlee, " he said softly. "I truly am. But unlike you, I didn't get a reprieve. I still can't father children."

"I hate to be the bearer of obvious news, but..." she gestured to her belly for emphasis, not that her tiny frame could yet reveal any hint of her pregnancy.

David stood and ran a hand through his dark hair. "And why exactly am I supposed to believe this? You lied to me about Rio, and the pregnancy test – both of which I had to find out by accident. What would you have done if I hadn't walked through that door when I did? Were you going to tell me at all? Or would I have gotten another gold watch for my trouble?"

Now it was Greenlee's turn to stand, a hand on her hip and lifting a finely arched eyebrow. "You finished? Or are you waiting for lightning to strike you down? Because seriously? You're lecturing me on the virtues of honesty? After blackmailing one of my employees behind my back? After keeping me in the dark about what you did to Erica's plane?"

"All right. I get it. We've both lied to one another. But I did what I did to protect you."

"So did I!"

"Maybe it's time that we're honest with each other," he said slowly, calmly. "That _is _why you married me, right? Because you could trust me in a way you could no longer trust Ryan? And now it seems we can't even trust each other. So let's put it all out in the open – leave no secrets between us."

"I agree."

"Where were you the night before we got married - when Jake Martin and his idiot brother lured me to the hospital under false pretenses, and the next thing I knew I was tied up at Erica's place? I assumed it was their pathetic way of getting you alone."

Greenlee nodded. "You assumed right."

"So where did he take you? Back to his penthouse? The yacht club?"

Greenlee stiffened, and, reluctantly, answered, "The castle where we got married."

"Gee, how romantic," he mocked.

"It wasn't. It was irritating."

"Is there anything you want to tell me? About what happened there?" It was asked without a trace of derision, his demeanor cautious, as if he didn't want the answer.

"I ate French toast, we talked, I fell asleep, he let me go," she replied with a shrug.

"Why do I get the feeling you're leaving quite a bit out of this story?"

"Why are you asking about this? Why now?" she asked, her frustration on full display.

David put up his hands defensively. "Hey, I just want us to be completely honest with one another. If you're not able to do that..."

"I told him that I loved him," Greenlee said quietly. "And we kissed. And then he started badgering me and I passed out."

David's eyes immediately flashed with concern. "You should have told me. And Lavery should have immediately gotten you medical attention."

Greenlee felt a certain amount of satisfaction that he reacted first to the fainting. "It's okay. It was just low blood sugar. Jake was there."

"Figures." And with that, the mention of a certain four letter word, all concern was erased from his face and he was back to being cold. **"**So you and Ryan kissed. Is that as far as it went?"

This constant mistrust, deserved or not, was gnawing at her patience. "Yes! And no, there is no possible way that this is Ryan's baby, if that's where you were going with this."

"I just don't know what to believe. First you love Ryan, then you don't love Ryan. In fact, it turns out you _never_ loved Ryan. So tell me, Greenlee, what am I supposed to think?"

"At least when I said those words, I believed them at the time. Can you say the same thing? You've never said 'I love you' to someone you didn't? Like Gayle?"

"Gayle has nothing to do with this."

"You used her feelings for you to get what you wanted. That's exactly what you're accusing me of, right? Stringing you along the way you strung along Gayle?"

"You've spent years, Greenlee, years, professing your love for Lavery, and now all of a sudden - what? It was all just a figment of your imagination? It really makes me question where _we_ stand."

"You're the one I'm married to, and I want to stay married to you." Her voice was low, practically a whisper. "Can't that be enough?"

"I wish it could. I wish it were still that simple." He grabbed his jacket and keys and bolted for the door.

"Where are you going?"

"To get some air." He didn't even look back as he said it.

"_David,_" she pleaded, but he was gone.

Greenlee sank into the couch, pressing her cold palms to her flushed cheeks. There was no point in going after him, she reasoned. Maybe some space was what David needed. But she couldn't help but hope that he'd turn right around and come back, that they could process everything that was happening together. As if punctuating her thought, in the distance she could hear the squealing of tires as David's car pealed out of the driveway.

* * *

Marissa sat up in bed, staring at nothing in particular, JR asleep beside her; she hadn't slept a minute since getting home that night. Her mind wouldn't shut up long enough to let her rest. It even angered her a bit that JR could fall asleep so easily. Sure, they'd talked when he finally came upstairs, but the scraps of conversation hadn't satisfied her. There were so many conflicting emotions gnawing away at her, and so much that she needed to say that she couldn't possibly say to anyone she knew in Pine Valley.

It was times like these that she wished her mother were still alive. She would know just what to say to make Marissa feel better. She always had. And her father would tell one of his jokes that would make her howl with laughter. Their deaths left a massive void in her life that David and Krystal never came close to filling.

JR began to stir, muttering something she couldn't quite understand.

"JR? You awake?" No answer. "Honey?" And then she heard it. It was a word she never wanted to hear him say, in a tone she recognized all too well, one that, once-upon-a-time, she'd naively thought was reserved for her.

"_Annie_."

Hearing him say that name, and the way that he'd said it, low and husky and tinged with passion, filled Marissa with a quiet fury that compelled her to lift her hand and suspend it in the air for a few seconds, before bringing it down hard to smack JR's face. He awoke with a start.

"What? Marissa?" He looked around with his eyes half open. "What – what the hell just happened?"

Marissa barely flinched. It shocked her that she'd expressed her anger this way. This wasn't her. She was Marissa Chandler – prim, proper, and perfect, but it didn't matter anymore. She wasn't a saint, and it was time she stopped pretending to be. Starting tomorrow. Confrontations were always more palatable to her in the light of day, with a clear mind, and on a full stomach. "There was an insect," she answered, a lie cloaked in a soothing whisper. "You know those ladybugs that keep getting in? One landed right on you. Don't worry – I got it."


	6. Chapter 6

The past few days felt like they had dragged on for months, and after a night of restless, fitful sleep, JR woke up alone. It was an unusual occurrence, not that Marissa made a habit of sleeping in – she was an early riser just as he was. It's just that JR always prided himself on being the first awake, to get that much of a head start on everyone else. With his father gone, he was the head of the family around here, even if Scott was in charge at Chandler Enterprises. But that was just a technicality, and he made it his mission to ensure that Scott didn't run this company into the ground the way he had his last. His cousin wasn't cut out for this; the guy went to film school, for God's sake. He wanted to make movies, not run a conglomerate. So JR woke up every morning while the rest of his family slept. It was the last bit of control he had.

This morning was different. When he awoke, the other half of his bed had been empty. The rumpled sheets felt cool to the touch.

When he went downstairs to the parlor, there she was, not only awake, but already dressed and looking like she was heading out, with her purse hanging from her shoulder.

"Hey," he said gently. "I missed you this morning. You got up awfully early."

Marissa stood there stiffly. "I couldn't sleep."

"You sure you don't want to take it easy?" He tried to put his hand on her shoulder to guide her to the couch, but she batted it away like it was a wasp.

"Just save it, JR. I can't do this anymore."

JR took a step back. He knew she'd had a rough night, but he hadn't been prepared for Marissa's...he wasn't even sure what to call it. Anger? Combativeness? Whatever it was, it caught him off guard. "Do what?"

"Us. Our marriage. I just can't."

* * *

Annie descended down the staircase in the same nightgown and robe from the night before. She stopped abruptly when she noticed the double doors leading to the parlor were closed. Hearing raised voices, she slowly tiptoed toward one of the doors and pressed her ear against it to get a better listen.

* * *

JR shook his head, confused. "Where is this coming from?"

"I heard you last night. I heard you say her name."

"_Whose_? Marissa, I..."

"Annie's." Her eyes began to mist over. "You said Annie's name last night. You were dreaming about her."

JR looked at her incredulously. "How do you know I wasn't having a nightmare?" he offered weakly. "Maybe – maybe I dreamed Annie was coming at me with a tire iron."

* * *

Out in the hall, Annie broke contact with the door momentarily, slightly wounded by JR's words. But it was too delicious an argument to walk away from, and she quickly recovered and resumed listening.

* * *

"Don't." Marissa's voice broke slightly, and she looked as if she were trying to suppress her tears. "Don't you dare insult me. I know what I heard."

* * *

Annie continued to listen at the door. She was listening so intently that she hadn't even heard Colby coming downstairs. If she had, she would have noticed her twenty-year-old former stepdaughter, wearing a pink kimono, something Adam had brought back for her years ago after a business trip to Japan, and attacking her wet hair with a hairbrush, and wouldn't have been so startled when she heard the girl's voice saying, "Whatcha doing?"

Annie turned to face her, and opened her mouth to speak, but Colby cut her off. "Let me guess: cleaning the key hole?" Her smug smile said it all. She was clearly thrilled to have caught Annie doing something improper.

But Annie wasn't going to give Colby the satisfaction of seeing her squirm. She stood stone-faced in front of the door. "Dusting." She lifted one eyebrow slightly as she spoke.

"With what – your face?"

"Don't you have somewhere to be right now?" Annie snapped. "Work or school or wherever it is that you go?"

Colby tilted her head to the side, appearing thoroughly amused. "I'm sure my brother would be _very _interested to know you're spying on him. But as a matter of fact, I do have somewhere to be." She took a step toward the door, but seemed to change her mind when she heard more yelling from the other side. "I think I'll skip breakfast." With that, she went back up the stairs.

Not a moment later, Annie heard her name and pressed herself against the door once again.

* * *

"Don't you think you're overreacting just a bit?" JR asked.

"Overreacting? _Overreacting_?" Marissa became more emotional with each word spoken. "Tell me, how am I supposed to react? I gave you a second chance. Everyone told me I was insane..." She paused, as if thinking about the word choice. "Well, that's how you like 'em, isn't it?"

"You're really acting this way because I was talking in my sleep?"

Marissa gave a steely gaze directly into his eyes. "You still want her. Well, you know what? If you want to be with Annie, go right ahead." Her voice was low when she spoke, and there was still quite a bit of anger that seeped into her tone.

"I don't give a damn about Annie. Marissa," he pleaded, "you and AJ mean everything to me." He didn't know why, but a part of him suddenly hated himself for saying those words about Annie. Maybe they weren't exactly true, but it was Marissa that he loved, not Annie. That he was sure of. So why was it that he constantly had to remind himself of that fact, over and over again?

Marissa's eyes were dry now. She stood unnaturally straight, and took a deep breath before speaking. "I'm not going to stay here and degrade myself further by hanging onto a man who isn't one-hundred-percent committed to me." There was a coldness about her demeanor that made JR uneasy. It had an eerie feeling of finality to it.

When Marissa roughly opened the door to leave, Annie tumbled into the room.

Marissa looked at JR and then back at Annie. "He's all yours," she said, carefully stepping over Annie on her way out.

When it was just the two of them, alone, JR shot Annie a look of disgust. "What the hell is the matter with you?"

She began to get up and made a show of dusting herself off. "Me?" She crinkled her nose at him. "If you and your wife want to provide a floor show, don't get all huffy when it attracts an audience."

JR lifted his brows. "An audience of one?"

"Yeah, well, maybe I was just the only one you didn't scare off. Even Colby couldn't wait to get out of here."

"Colby saw you? Like _that_?" He had meant the eavesdropping, but the way he'd said it, and the way he gestured toward her made it sound like he was referring to her silk robe and skimpy nightgown. Annie seemed to get that impression as well.

"There's nothing wrong with what I'm wearing," she said defensively, closing together the collar of her robe.

"My son doesn't need to see you traipsing around looking like this." And neither did he...

"Isn't AJ at camp?" she challenged.

"He's coming home this afternoon. Put some clothes on."

JR was almost relieved when Scott entered the room. It saved him from another minute of being alone with Annie.

"What's going on?" Scott asked.

Annie walked over to Scott, and draped her arms around his neck. "Apparently I'm being informed of the dress code."

Scott smiled broadly. "Well, no complaints here," he said, before drawing Annie into a kiss.

It was then that Colby, about to come in, stopped short at the doorway, faced with a scene that had no doubt horrified her. "Ugh! I was hoping the freak show was over."

Scott broke away from Annie. "And good morning to you too."

Colby looked past him and at JR. "Where'd Marissa go? And why were you fighting?"

JR waived her off dismissively. "I don't want to get into it...not with present company around."

Colby turned back to Annie. "What did you do _this_ time?" she demanded, causing Annie to chuckle and roll her eyes.

"Of course. Everything's Annie's fault. It can't be JR being his typical jackass self, or Marissa being her typical cold fish shrew of a self. It _must _be me."

"Okay, okay." Scott stepped into the middle of the room and addressed everyone. "Maybe we should cool it. No one wants to say anything that we might regret." He pointed to Colby. "You. Upstairs and get ready. You've been making all this noise about wanting to work at Chandler – now you get your chance."

Colby beamed, as if forgetting about all of the tension in the room. "You mean it? You're letting me intern?"

Scott nodded. "Yeah, there's no reason why not."

Colby let out a squeal and ran toward the stairs.

Annie gave Scott a look that seemed to be a mixture of admiration with a hint of smug. "You are really amazing, you know that? "

"You better enjoy this while you can, Scotty." JR interjected. "Because all this – you acting like you're in charge – it's not gonna last."

Scott took a menacing step toward his cousin. "Whether you like it or not, I _am_ in charge. Get used to it." He gave Annie a brief peck on the lips on his way out of the room, leaving her alone with JR once again.

All trace of the confident expression Annie had just worn had vanished, and now she was giving him a look one would expect from a wounded animal. For a moment it seemed like she was about to speak, but then she quickly turned on her heel and headed out the door. She was almost gone when she suddenly fell backwards, having tripped on something – one of AJ's Matchbox cars that apparently never got put away. JR lunged forward and caught her, tightly gripping both of her arms. For a second he held her there, and she turned around, their faces millimeters apart. Every instinct he had screamed at him to lower his head to kiss her. He would have, had she not pushed him away.

"Get your hands off me," she said breathlessly.

Now JR was thoroughly confused. "The hell? How am I the bad guy all of a sudden? I just saved you."

"What – are you expecting a medal? Why did you even bother? You don't give a damn about me anyway."

JR squeezed his eyes shut. Just saying those words earlier had hurt him. But knowing she had heard them? It hurt about a thousand times more. "Dammit, Annie. Why were you even listening to that?"

"I'm glad I did. It's good to know where I stand."

With that, Annie left. JR's feet felt heavy beneath him. He sank into the sofa, and rested his head in his palm.

* * *

When Greenlee had woken up that morning, David was still gone, and her many attempts at reaching him on his cell phone were futile. It was turned on; it rang exactly six times before sending her to his voicemail. "_This __is __Dr. __David __Hayward.__ If __this __is __a __medical __emergency, __hang __up __and __dial __911. __Otherwise, __please __leave __a__ message __for __me __at __the __tone." _With each listen to his outgoing message, the more irritating it became. On her last try, she told him so. She finally decided to stop by the hospital, but finding David wasn't her only objective.

"Jake." He had been looking down at a patient's chart, but glanced up upon hearing his name.

"Hey. What are you doing here?" he asked with friendly concern. "Is everything all right?"

"I co-own this place, remember? Speaking of co-owners, has David been here?"

"Well, let's see, the staff's in a good mood, and I don't see any cloven hoof prints anywhere – I'd say he hasn't."

Greenlee rolled her eyes. "I'm serious, Jake. What the hell happened last night?"

* * *

Later, Annie had showered and changed into a pair of jeans and a turquoise sleeveless blouse. _Is __this __"appropriate" __enough __for __you, __JR?_ Scott had taken an ecstatic Colby to the office, and JR had a meeting with a potential investor. Meanwhile, Annie waited at home for Ryan to drop off Emma. She was just coming down the stairs when she heard the door swing open, followed by the sound of her daughter's voice.

"Mommy!" Emma ran straight to Annie, with Madison a few steps behind.

Annie bent down to Emma's level. "Hi, sweetheart, did you have fun with your daddy?"

Emma nodded. "I had a sleepover with Kayla. We watched _iCarly_ and we made cupcakes and we went swimming and I caught a frog. But we had to let it go. Is AJ back yet?"

"Not yet," Annie told her. "He should be home a little later."

"Okay," Emma chirped. She said goodbye to Madison before racing off to her room, leaving the two women standing in the foyer.

"Ryan had an emergency at the office," Madison said as soon as Emma was out of sight, and offered up an apologetic smile. "I volunteered to take Emma. I hope that's okay."

Annie returned her smile. "Yeah, sure. Emma adores you. She talks about you all the time. Plus it's just as well Ryan didn't come here. We kind of got into it last night."

"Oh. You know, he seemed kind of upset about something last night. In fact, he was supposed to call me after dropping off Emma at her friend's, but he didn't get back to me until pretty late."

Annie scanned the woman in front of her, who wore the unmistakable glow that came from being the latest love of Ryan Lavery's life. But she knew from experience that, as good as it feels to win Ryan's heart, the crash back to reality when it's all over and he casts you aside like yesterday's newspaper is unbearable. "So you and Ryan, huh? You two are an item?"

Madison appeared a little guarded, as if apprehensive to confirm what was already written all over her face. "That's not weird for you, is it? Being the ex-wife and all?"

"No, are you kidding me?" Annie asked with a laugh, trying to be as reassuring as possible. "I've moved on. Way on. I'm also a proud member of the Anyone But Greenlee Club."

Madison seemed to visibly relax after that. "Hey, if you're soliciting new members, I'd love to join you."

"And risk being seen associating with crazy Annie?" She moved to the couch in the parlor, and Madison followed.

"I'm not exactly in a position to judge," Madison said. "Everyone deserves a second chance."

"You say that now, but just wait until you're sucked into the cult of Greenlee. Everyone is at some point."

Madison laughed. "I can only imagine – with their matching Prada shoes and their cyanide-laced Pinot noir."

Now it was Annie's turn to laugh. "You know, if anyone can make Ryan forget about Greenlee, please let it be you."

* * *

"So now we're just waiting on the DNA test results," Jake reported.

Greenlee nodded as she tried to absorb all this new information. "So, what does this mean? Do David and Krystal _have_ another child out there somewhere? Was this twin thing just a scam?"

"Tad talked to Krystal earlier this morning, and she's adamant that she had twins. Two girls. We don't know much more than that. Tad's looking into it."

"I have to know everything that he finds out, Jake. You owe me." Seeing his incredulous expression, she added, "for finding your wedding ring."

"Because your jackass husband lost it," he pointed out. "And Amanda and I already covered that. Victory dance, remember?"

Greenlee let out an indignant snort. "Your self-serving attempt at matchmaking? Gee, how could I forget?"

"I wouldn't exactly call wanting to see my friend happy 'self-serving'."

This just caused Greenlee to sigh. Clearly her definition of happy wasn't the same as everyone else's. "What happened to the guy who told me that the 'smart choice' is to choose the man who goes to bat for me, who sticks up for me, compromises his integrity for me, over the man who hurts me? Remember that?"

"Okay, first of all, integrity? Really?" He scratched at his earlobe. "And you do know that I was referring to _myself _when I said that, right? I definitely didn't mean The Prince of Darkness." Then he softened toward her, and put a hand on her shoulder. "Look, I just don't want to see you get hurt, okay? Can I just tell you that last year really sucked believing I was living in a world without you in it?"

Her chin tilted higher. "And do you know why I'm still here?"

"So send him a card. You didn't have to marry the guy. And need I remind you that if Hayward hadn't led everyone to believe you were dead, Ryan would have never left your side?"

"That's entirely missing the point, Jake. What if I _had_ been dead? That's how he chooses to mourn me? By hopping into bed with Kendall before my corpse is even cold? And then _Erica_? He just spits all over my memory?"

Jake paused, as if to contemplate this. "So… if I'm understanding this correctly, you expect everyone to fall in line and grieve in a way that you approve of?"

"_Yes_."

"Isn't that a little self-absorbed?"

Greenlee gave him a grin. "Hello? Have you met me?"

Jake chuckled lightly. He had to know that he wasn't about to win this argument. "I'll tell you what – as soon as I hear anything, you'll be the first to know. You happy now?"

Greenlee smiled at him appreciatively.


	7. Chapter 7

By the time Madison left the mansion that afternoon, Annie had been startled by just how much time had passed. They'd been so busy talking and joking, some of it at Greenlee's expense, but mostly about everything from politics to trashy reality tv, that she hadn't even realized how many hours had slipped by unnoticed.

When Ryan arrived a little after that, she half expected him to know all about her time with Madison and to warn Annie to stay away from her – can't have the girlfriend and the ex get too chummy – until she noticed the doll in his hand.

"Emma left Parvati at the penthouse," he said with a shrug. "Listen... I'm sorry for being hard on you last night."

"No need to apologize," Annie said softly. "Madison said you've been having some difficulty at work."

"Yeah…so you think we can be civil, for Emma's sake?"

"And our sakes," Annie added. "I'd like that."

"So would I." He handed the doll off to Annie, then turned to leave.

"Ryan?" She wanted to say something supportive, something to let him know that she was committed to putting their differences aside.

He stopped and faced her again.

"Be nice to Madison," Annie said. "She's a keeper."

* * *

The constant rushing of the falls would have been soothing in any other context. The rocky cliffs, high and majestic, were something a tourist would likely seek out. To him they looked like the walls of a prison. Maybe it's because of what this spot represented. It was the site of his brother's fatal fall into the river, after all. As he sat beneath a colorless July sky at Miller's Falls, David didn't quite know what he expected to get out of the place. Answers? Reassurance? He realized his brother wasn't actually there. His body had never been recovered. It had probably drifted far away from here. Still, it's the place where he felt the closest to Leo. Whenever he found his life in shambles, it was either drown his sorrows in a bottle of scotch in solitude, or come here. Unfortunately for him, the scotch was at home. And Greenlee was at home.

Greenlee used to come to this spot as well, but he wasn't sure if she had been in awhile. For years she's had a laser-like focus on Ryan. Even now, she always found reasons to go running after him. She needed Ryan's "help", or he'd just show up out of the blue, or he'd kidnap her, tell her whatever she needed to hear in order to lure her back in.

He thought he knew what he was getting into when he married Greenlee. Just two friends who trusted one another helping each other out. He was so wrong. As hard as he'd tried to fight it, he'd fallen in love with his brother's widow. There was something so fundamentally wrong with that concept. Greenlee had been the love of Leo's life. When Leo died, he vowed to be there for Greenlee, to look out for her. But now? It was only a matter of time before he'd decimate her life too. That's what he did. To everyone. And now she was pregnant. Maybe it was for the best that it was probably Ryan's child. On second thought, no, he couldn't say that. He wouldn't wish the Lavery gene pool on anyone. Especially not a child of Greenlee's.

When he heard footsteps approaching him, he didn't need to turn around to know exactly who it was.

"I thought you might come here," said Greenlee softly from behind him.

David looked up at her. "Yeah. It's been awhile. Too long. How did you know to find me here?"

Greenlee sat next to him. "You weren't at the hospital. You weren't at home. It's not like you have any friends. So I figured, 'where else?'" When David didn't speak, Greenlee continued. "I went to the hospital. Why didn't you tell me about Marissa?"

He couldn't help but give a bitter laugh. "You're not seriously going to lecture me about keeping secrets, are you? We're a little past that point, don't you think?"

"I'm sorry," Greenlee said. "I should have told you a lot sooner. But there's still something that _you're_ keeping from me. If I were still hung up on Ryan, don't you think I would've asked what you have on his girlfriend? But I didn't. Because I don't care."

He cast his eyes away from her. "If that's your sly way of asking, you're about to be sorely disappointed."

"I'm not," she insisted. "Like I said, I don't care. For the first time in, possibly ever, I don't care what Ryan does, or who he does it with. For all I know, he could be another head injury away from deciding he wants Annie back, and I'm fine with that."

"For someone who professes to be over Ryan, you certainly never cease to bring him up," he said, not even trying to hide the resentment.

Her eyes glowed with an indignant fire. "You're the one who insists that I'm carrying Ryan's baby. Right? Is that what you still think?"

He was silent for several moments. Yes. That's what he thought. What other conclusion was there that made any kind of sense? Did he dare hope that after all the lying, the plotting, the huge misfire that was Erica's plane crash, that he would get exactly what he had been dreaming of? Of course not. Those kinds of miracles may have been a daily occurrence for people like the Martins, but they didn't happen to him. "You said you went to the hospital," he said at last. "About Marissa. Did you get the answers you were looking for?"

She looked vaguely disappointed at the non-answer. "I went there to find out what happened, yes," she responded matter-of-factly. "As for answers, I don't have any of those _yet._ I figured Tad and Krystal probably aren't going to cooperate with us, so I have someone on the inside who promised to keep me updated. I want us to be in the loop. This concerns you just as much as it concerns Krystal, and you should be a part of it."

In that instant, hearing her speak of them as if they were a team, something she hadn't done since Erica's plane disappeared, moved him in a way he hadn't thought possible. "You did that for me. Why?"

"Because I promised you that I would help you get your daughter back. And so far, I've done a really terrible job."

"Is that the only reason?"

Greenlee lightly pushed back a stray lock of hair off his face, then leaned into him, slowly at first, almost hesitantly, and gently brushed her lips over his. The kiss built in intensity and David found himself instinctively raising both hands to her hair.

When they broke apart, his hands moved forward to cup the sides of her face, and he smiled. "Was that an answer, or a pleasant distraction?"

She took his hands and placed them in hers. "A pleasant answer?" she suggested with a tiny laugh. Then her expression became pensive. "I've been thinking lately, about a conversation we had up here once. God, it feels like eons ago. And you made this analogy…something about how if you get your leg caught in a bear trap, you don't take your good leg and stick it in, or something. You just crawl away. It sounded so depressing. And then there was me, the polar opposite. I was convinced that I was embarking on the next love of my life." She stopped to ponder a moment. "Who was it then? Ryan?"

David shook his head. "It wasn't Ryan. It was… what's-his-name. Juan something."

"Pablo," she mused. "Huh. I'd completely forgotten about him. I've had so many potential loves of my life after Leo. Every time I told myself that this was going to be the one. I told someone once that I loved Aidan more than I'd loved any other man. It was a lie. Even as I was saying it I knew it was a lie. I needed to believe in it. Otherwise, what's the point of living another fifty years knowing that the best is already over?"

"Is there a reason why you're telling me this?" he asked gently. "You told me you loved me, Greenlee. And ever since then, you've gone out of your way to avoid saying it to me again." He searched her eyes intently, looking for some sign – anything – that could give him the answer he was looking for.

"I just know that this feels right," she said, "even if I'm not able to slap a label on it just yet."

It wasn't the answer he'd hoped for. Not even close. But at least it was an honest answer. For now, that was enough.

* * *

When JR arrived home that night, everyone was gone. Colby was probably off with Damon, Scott and Annie were probably together doing – he didn't even want to imagine, and he'd gotten a message from Marissa saying she'd taken AJ to a sleepover with the Martins. He hoped that was a good sign. Maybe that way they could talk without AJ overhearing. But when he saw Tad enter the room, a feeling in the pit of his stomach told him that wouldn't be happening.

"Have you talked to Marissa?" JR asked him.

Tad's expression was solemn. "Yeah, she wanted me to get some of her things."

"Oh, come on, Tad! She could've at least come by here herself and faced me."

"Listen to me," Tad said. "You think this is a picnic for me? After everything that I put you and your mother through when you were growing up, it kills me to see you repeat my mistakes. I may have a lot of regrets in my life – and I mean a lot – but sleeping with Liza when I was married to Dixie? That's near the top."

"But you got past it," JR reminded him. "Marissa and I can get past this too. You'll see."

"You think it was that easy? It took years to get to that point, JR. And even then, there was always a dark cloud hanging over us that never really went away. I don't wanna see that happen to you and Marissa. I just hope it's not already be too late."

"She'll come back, and we'll get through this," he insisted. "She's already come back once before."

"For your sake," Tad said, his voice low, "I hope you're right. You entrusted her to be the mother of your child. And by some miracle, AJ adores her too. You know how hard it is to get a kid to adjust to a new stepparent. And trust me, I have first-hand experience in that department. For AJ to be so receptive – come on, JR, that's huge."

"You think I don't know that?" JR burst out, his face becoming flushed. "I know I screwed up. And I'd do anything to make it right."

Tad continued to stand still, stern and stone-faced. "Good. So _make_ it right."

When Tad left, with an old shopping bag filled with some of Marissa's clothes, his words continued to haunt JR. _Make it right._ What did that mean? Throw Annie out of the mansion? Stop seeing Annie? Stop thinking about her? Dreaming about her? Did he really think that would be easy? Was it easy for Tad to stop seeing his mother when he was married to Brooke? That sudden thought disconcerted him. The two situations weren't remotely comparable. Were they?


End file.
